Why Neglecting Prospects Is a Strategic Mistake for Real Estate Agencies

In today’s real estate market, many agencies believe there is little need to invest in the experience of buyers or tenants. Properties sell, mandates come in, and commercial pressure appears—at first glance—to be limited.

In this context, user experience (UX) across real estate agency websites, listings, and social media channels is often pushed into the background. This is an observation I had the opportunity to share with a network of real estate agencies that contacted me last year to improve their overall sales process.

Today, it is clear that for most players, little has changed.

From a user’s perspective, accessing information from real estate agencies still very often requires unnecessary effort.

Yet this is a major strategic mistake, with long-term consequences for real estate agencies.

Because today’s buyer or tenant may not be an immediate client—but they are very likely to become tomorrow’s client.

Buyers and tenants: the overlooked segment of real estate strategy

Historically, real estate agencies operate within an unbalanced dynamic:

• sellers and landlords, at the core of revenue generation,
• buyers and tenants, often treated as a simple flow—particularly on the Belgian market.

Yet people actively searching for a property are:

• potential sellers or landlords in the medium to long term,
• powerful brand ambassadors through word-of-mouth and recommendations,
• key contributors to brand perception.

According to a PwC study, 32% of customers stop doing business with a brand after just one bad experience, even when the product or service itself is good.

Neglecting their journey today therefore directly weakens the agency’s future growth.

User experience shapes memory - and trust

A poorly structured website, incomplete listings, inefficient filters, missing or unclear information.

Or, on social media:

• a property posted without a price,
• without precise location,
• without a link to a full listing,
• with partial visuals or fragmented information.

From the very first interaction, the user is forced to make an effort.

According to Google:

• 53% of mobile users leave a site if it takes longer than three seconds to load,
• a complex or frustrating journey can reduce conversion rates by up to 70%.

In a highly competitive market, every point of friction erodes brand recall, trust, and the likelihood of recommendation.

A tiring journey does not convert.

A seamless one, however, leaves a lasting impression.

Real estate platforms: a high-risk depedency

Real estate platforms such as Immoweb or Immovlan play a central role in property visibility in Belgium.

But relying exclusively on them exposes agencies to several strategic risks:

• dependency on an external actor,
• loss of control over the user experience,
• vulnerability to changing rules (increased monetisation, paid visibility, algorithms),
• dilution of the agency’s brand in favour of the platform.

Investing in and refining one’s own digital touchpoints (website, listings, contact forms, user flows) makes it possible to:

• regain control over brand image,
• build direct relationships with prospects,
• secure long-term visibility and brand equity.

A far-from-guaranteed real estate market

The Belgian and European real estate markets remain cyclical and highly sensitive to interest rates.

• In Belgium, the number of transactions declined by approximately 15% between 2022 and 2023.
• Over the same period, mortgage rates rose from around 1.5% to over 3.5%.
• According to the Belgian Notaries, selling times have increased in several regions.

At the European level, transaction volumes fell by 10% to 30% depending on the country between 2022 and 2024.

At the same time, competition remains intense, with more than 10,000 real estate agencies active in Belgium.

In this context, every contact, interaction, and impression matters.

Thinking about real estate in the long term

A couple searching for a property today is a potential seller tomorrow.

When the time comes to grant a mandate, they will instinctively turn to:

• the agency that left them with a positive experience,
• the one that made their search easier,
• the one that communicated clearly, transparently, and respectfully.

Not necessarily the cheapest.

Not necessarily the most visible at the time.

But the one that built a meaningful relationship.

User experience is not a marketing luxury.

It is a long-term strategic investment.

Key questions every real estate agency should ask itself

• What does a buyer or tenant feel during their first visit to our website?
• Are essential details (price, location, availability, contact) immediately accessible?
• Do we truly simplify the search—or make it harder?
• Does the experience reflect the professional image we aim to project?
• Do we capitalise on every interaction, even when it does not generate immediate revenue?

Conclusion - Customer experience as a real estate growth lever

Neglecting the experience of buyers and tenants means sacrificing the future for the sake of the present.

Agencies that understand that every interaction counts—even when it does not generate immediate revenue—build brands that are:

• stronger,
• more resilient,
• more widely recommended.

💬 At Hypevision, we help companies design human-centered, insight-driven customer listening strategies that act as powerful drivers of sustainable growth.

Get in touch if you would like to explore this topic further.

Sources: (1) PwC - Customer Experience Practice – Future of Customer Experience Survey

(2) Google / SOASTA Research

(3) Baymard Instute, étude sur l’abandon de parcours | Forrester, rapport UX

(4) Notaires de Belgique - Baromètre immobilier

(5) Banque Nationale de Belgique | StratBel (6) Eurostat | European Central Bank

(7) IPI | StatBel | BCE